Live fire training program help

[rwa]

...what is the best use of my time at a static range?

Being stuck with a "static range" certainly limits your options. I am guessing it might be a bit difficult to work on stage planning and execution beyond the very basics. Besides not being able to move, are your stuck with one target? If so, transitions are out of the question and that really sucks.

Dry fire is definitely a huge part of any USPSA training regime. Get the videos, books, etc., of your choice and get busy. I am partial to Saul Kirsch's materials, and Ben Stoeger has some great materials. Stoeger's new video where he re-visits the fundamentals is a must see. Both of them have good dry fire and live fire drills on video and in print form. If you primarily shoot a production gun with open sights, go with Stoeger. If you shoot an open gun with a dot, Kirrsch gets the nod. Just my opinion.

As for static live fire, I suggest the draw, and reload drills using a reducing par time approach. Also, learn to shoot weak hand only and strong hand only. Firing strong hand or freestyle, reload, transfer gun to weak hand and fire, is a good skill to have. Good luck with your endeavor. Making GM through the classifier system will require some pretty salty gunslinger skills. You need to be fast, really fast. You also need the hits. Performing (match performance) at the GM level requires the whole enchilada.

After your first 4 classifiers, you will have an intitial classification. Assuming your initial classification isn't GM, you can go to Area and/or National matches and move up to in classification by opening up a real can of whoop a$$. Take a look at page 8 of the classification manual for an explanation of the system. GM is a lofty goal. Good luck.

[wtturn]

My response would have probably been - you can't get there from here. Short but honest.
Entirely due to the ending comments about "exceed in USPSA and eventually become a GM."
I'm not a GM, I shoot with some occasionally, and I know even when I was at my pistol shooting best (probably 15 years ago) I did not have what it took to become one, and barring me winning the Powerball to retire and shoot competitively for fun - it is never going to happen.

Now if I read a question saying, I have only X hours and x rounds per week, what is the best use of my time to improve myself as a USPSA shooter, I think the answers would have been different.

I'm not blaming the OP for his post, but just putting context into the reason why I see some replies would have been formed.

OP only says "presently" he has x hours and y rounds. I can draw an inference that maybe later "x" and "y" could increase.

I'm in the camp that believes essentially anyone who is not physically handicapped has the inherent ability to become a GM. One just has to do what's required to unlock the potential.

To say "you can't get there from here" is silly on it's face. Every GM started as a U (Unclassified) shooter. Some then became a D, a C, a B, an A, an M, etc. It's a linear path. No matter where you start there is ALWAYS a path to GM, if you do the work. Anyone who is doing any progress at all is on the PATH to GM. After that it's entirely a function of how hard you're willing to work. Conversely, a person who never sets a goal to be GM will never be one.

OP, best of luck. Hope you make GM. Do what you can do now in livefire, and work 5 times as hard in dryfire. Shoot as many matches as you can. Work benchmark drills like the Bill/Blake/Accelerator/4 Aces. Set up mini-stages and run different plans and record the hit factors.

[Failure2Stop]

I think that this would be a lot easier on everyone if the topic of conversation was: "I want to be better at USPSA. I currently have the ability to conduct live-fire one time a week for 100-200 rounds. How can I best utilize that time and ammunition?".

[BJJ]

That would be great. Especially since we have had at least one GM comment on this thread.

[rwa]

That would be great. Especially since we have had at least one GM comment on this thread.

Three GMs for sure.

[Mikey]

While I am not a GM. I went from D to an 83% A in the last two years and if things go well this weekend I have delusions of grandeur to get my M card. I did it by loosely following Mike Seeklander's Program and I am currently working on my second go around. This program is down right painful to execute as it sucks all the fun out of going to the range. The payoff comes on match day and to me it has been well worth it.

A few other things I did that I think helped:

I lost 10lbs (probably could stand to loose 20 more).
I started using Captains of Crush Grippers to increase my grip strength.
If you don't already reload I highly suggest you start to save the money and tailor your loads to your gun.
Pick one gun and stick with it. Do not shoot anything else at all if you can help it.
If you have any friends who do well at USPSA ask them to squad with you and then break down what you did right and wrong.
If you have not had your eyes checked go do it. My training buddy finally did after wasting years practicing to find out over half his problems were because he couldn't see.

Hope this helps.

[KevinB]

OP only says "presently" he has x hours and y rounds. I can draw an inference that maybe later "x" and "y" could increase.

I'm in the camp that believes essentially anyone who is not physically handicapped has the inherent ability to become a GM. One just has to do what's required to unlock the potential.

To say "you can't get there from here" is silly on it's face. Every GM started as a U (Unclassified) shooter. Some then became a D, a C, a B, an A, an M, etc. It's a linear path. No matter where you start there is ALWAYS a path to GM, if you do the work. Anyone who is doing any progress at all is on the PATH to GM. After that it's entirely a function of how hard you're willing to work. Conversely, a person who never sets a goal to be GM will never be one.

OP, best of luck. Hope you make GM. Do what you can do now in livefire, and work 5 times as hard in dryfire. Shoot as many matches as you can. Work benchmark drills like the Bill/Blake/Accelerator/4 Aces. Set up mini-stages and run different plans and record the hit factors.

Did you even read my post?

My point was I did not have X or Y - and I disagree with your premise that anyone can do it -- anyone can do it with enough time, money and dedication.
Things I do not have at this junction in my life - and the OP does not have.

As Jack posted below - and what my post was he best question is what is the best he can currently setup his time and range time for what he currently can do to get better.

For a long drawn out response to the OP.

1) get a shooting buddy or find a local mentor in USPSA who is ideally an A shooter or better
Have them look at your shooting - and figure out like what Rob/Slavex said above.

I would also figure out the things you suck at the most and work on improving them. If you think you have a good draw but your reloads suck work on reloads, if you think your transitions suck, work on them. Don't go to the range and only practice the things you are good at, work the difficult stuff, weak hand, strong hand etc.

Buying books and DVD's unless you already have an understanding can breed in a lot of bad reps doing it "wrong" that will be harder to break than doing it right the correct way.

2) If your stuck to a static range (which could mean a number of things from no movement to no movement/no multiple targets etc.) I would focus on 1) Accuracy 2) Speed via recoil management for follow up shots. 3) Draw and engagement of first target with two rounds (to ensure you have a good master grip on the draw - which one round can be misleading).

3) Dray Fire, Grip Strength, Reloads, etc can be done primary at home in your other free time.

I cannot stress enough the importance of finding someone who is skilled to at least do a baseline evaluation of where you are - and what your immediate concerns are.
If not you may waste a lot of time polishing something that was already decent -and not make rapid gains where you had deficiencies.

[wtturn]

Did you even read my post?

My point was I did not have X or Y - and I disagree with your premise that anyone can do it -- anyone can do it with enough time, money and dedication.
Things I do not have at this junction in my life - and the OP does not have.

As Jack posted below - and what my post was he best question is what is the best he can currently setup his time and range time for what he currently can do to get better.
]

Apart from semantics, I'm thinking we're saying the same thing. At least the essence of the same thing.

And OP hasn't even been back in this thread since starting it, so we're all probably wasting bandwidth arguing with one another anyway, lol.

[KevinB]

Apart from semantics, I'm thinking we're saying the same thing. At least the essence of the same thing.

And OP hasn't even been back in this thread since starting it, so we're all probably wasting bandwidth arguing with one another anyway, lol.

Agreed.

[Danny]

I haven't been on the thread or the forum in a while, mostly because my limited free time has been spent on Stoeger's dry fire book and going to the actual range.

To those who gave actual advice, thank you.